History

The rich history of U Kurelů

In 1907, Jan Kurel finished constructing his building in Prague’s working-class quarter of Žižkov and proudly opened the doors to his new corner pub, U Kurelů. Throughout the following decades, U Kurelů served as a community hub that housed a stage for local theater, band performances, and poetry readings. The airy, high-ceilinged venue hosted weekly dance nights and nearly every evening the pub’s spacious rooms were filled with music and laughter as friends met to eat and drink, play cards, and discuss the latest news.

Under Communism, individual’s names were stripped from establishments, and U Kurelů became “U Posty,” referencing the city’s main post office exchange up the street. Beer prices were kept low by the government (a natural-born right of a “free” Czech citizen) and pub culture continued to flourish.

Vaclav Havel’s portrait photographer and close friend Bohdan Holomicek was a regular at U Posty, and we are proud to have acquired nine beautiful photos he took in and around the pub. Now on permanent exhibition at U Kurelů, they depict Žižkov pub life as it was in 1970’s Czechoslovakia and feature his friends, prominent dissidents, Communist informers, and neighbors’ gatherings and celebrations.

In 1989 the pub was handed back to the Kurel family and was rented to a private hospitality company. It proudly reacquired the original name, and by the mid 90’s U Kurelů was making national and international news, becoming famous—or perhaps infamous would be a better way to describe the novel business idea to host the country’s first topless waitress night!

News stations sent teams to film the hoards of male patrons packing out the pub, and ones not lucky enough to get through the doors jostled for position outside the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the women delivering beers, goulash, and shots to slack-jawed men every Wednesday night. For over ten years.

So fast forward to U Kurelů today: we still occasionally receive emails requesting reservations specifically for “nahoře bez” Wednesday nights. So fair enough: even if our waitresses like to keep their tops on nowadays, our burly, tattooed head barman Keith is always ready to oblige and show a little skin.

We welcome both old and new friends to visit our updated version of a historic neighborhood watering hole where folks can enjoy some fabulous food, a couple of drinks, our house-infused ginger vodka, and join in on keeping the tradition of good times rollin’!

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